What are some things you learned about planning and teaching from your vignette?
Inquiry based learning requires a lot of time in order to be done well. This type of learning cannot be rushed, otherwise it loses it's fundamental qualities of student based questioning. This activity worked well because there was enough time for students to go along paths that may not have been correct, in order to come up with the answer. The teacher facilitated student discussion, in order to allow the students to synthesize their own ideas and create conclusions.
What were the critical aspects of the lesson sequence? How would you "transfer" these aspects to address another topic?
The most critical aspect of this lesson sequence was the pendulum based activity on the first day. This activity was not only inquiry based, but also required multiple trials in order for students to test their questions. Another aspect would be the multiple discussions about the pendulum, which could be transferred to other lessons. Group discussion can be used to not only answer students questions but also to create a streamlined classroom without the teacher directly spelling out the correct answer.
How did the teacher engage students in the topic?
The teacher engaged students by allowing the discussion to occur. This discussion was not only used to form ideas, but also to form experiments that the students were able to test. The importance of student involvement was key to the student engagement, which went hand in hand with the lack of rigid teacher instruction.
How did sequence facilitate "active" learning on the part of the students?
Students were able to design their own experiments in this activity, which not only began active learning but set up the activity for continual active learning. By designing their own experiments, they were not just following a step by step instruction manual and were allowed to creatively follow their own thought process in the designated area of instruction. Students also brainstormed their own variables, so active learning was also continued through trial and error, while still learning about pendulums and problem solving skills.
What are some things you learned about planning and teaching from your vignette?
Inquiry based learning requires a lot of time in order to be done well. This type of learning cannot be rushed, otherwise it loses it's fundamental qualities of student based questioning. This activity worked well because there was enough time for students to go along paths that may not have been correct, in order to come up with the answer. The teacher facilitated student discussion, in order to allow the students to synthesize their own ideas and create conclusions.
What were the critical aspects of the lesson sequence? How would you "transfer" these aspects to address another topic?
The most critical aspect of this lesson sequence was the pendulum based activity on the first day. This activity was not only inquiry based, but also required multiple trials in order for students to test their questions. Another aspect would be the multiple discussions about the pendulum, which could be transferred to other lessons. Group discussion can be used to not only answer students questions but also to create a streamlined classroom without the teacher directly spelling out the correct answer.
How did the teacher engage students in the topic?
The teacher engaged students by allowing the discussion to occur. This discussion was not only used to form ideas, but also to form experiments that the students were able to test. The importance of student involvement was key to the student engagement, which went hand in hand with the lack of rigid teacher instruction.
How did sequence facilitate "active" learning on the part of the students?
Students were able to design their own experiments in this activity, which not only began active learning but set up the activity for continual active learning. By designing their own experiments, they were not just following a step by step instruction manual and were allowed to creatively follow their own thought process in the designated area of instruction. Students also brainstormed their own variables, so active learning was also continued through trial and error, while still learning about pendulums and problem solving skills.